Fluid distributing apparatus for material treating



Dec. 15, 1964 J. F. GSCHWIND ETAL 3,161,482

FLUID DISTRIBUTING APPARATUS FOR MATERIAL TREATING Filed Feb. 27, 1961 2Sheets-Sheet 1 A c k fl wfl Wm 1- 14 7Q i f;

H at L w 3 JEAN E .81

BY JOSE ,4. V/ZL/JLOBOS A TTOR/VEK New Brunswick, N..l., assiguors toMidland-Ross Cer poratlon, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Qhio FiledFeb. 27, 1961, Ser. No. 91,735 7 Claims. (Cl. 34-54) This inventionrelates to the drying or treating of material by the use of air or otherfluid and more particularly to apparatus for distributing fluid on thematerial during the drying or treating process.

In the treating of a continuous web of material, such as paper ortextiles, it is common practice to use heated air which is distributedby means of' elongated driers or nozzles disposed transversely to thedirection ofmovement of the web and delivering air through a multitudeof apertures closely spaced longitudinally of the nozzles.

.It is of major importance that the web be dried to produce a uniformmoisture content across the entire w th of the web. This can become adifficult problem, particularly when the web is many feet in width. Themois ture content across the width of the web as it reaches the dryingarea may vary considerably and for that reason, it is desirable toprovide for adjustment of the apertures so that the delivery rate of airmay be varied. Unfortunately, such adjustments have not been completelysatisfactory since they have been incapable of Sllfi'lCiBIlt flexibilityto widely and quickly vary the individual volumes of airfdelivered toclosely adjacent portions of the web. In addition, the controls are notreadily adjustable to accommodate unpredictable changes in thedistribution of moisture in the web and wet streaks occur which are veryapparent in the finished product.

It is a general object of the invention to provide a fluid United StatesPatent ice incorporated in a portion of a drier section of a webprocessing machine having a plurality of drier rolls 11 which carry aweb of material 12 from left to right. A plurality of identical fluiddistributing devices or nozzles -may be disposed in a variety oflocations, for example, at

. it will be apparent that bulk material of various types could betreated by moving it on a belt conveyor rela-' tive to properly locatednozzles.

Air is delivered to the nozzles from a conventional source (not shown)through manifold duct works 21 to each of the nozzles from which the airis exhausted upon the web. If desired, the air may be heated orotherwise conditioned by use of conventional heaters or conditionersindicated :at 22.

More specifically, in the preferred embodiment of the invention eachnozzle has an elongated tubular body 23 of generally uniform cros-section which extends across the entire width of the web 12. As bestseen in FIG. 3,

one end of the nozzle is closed by a cap 24 and the opposite end isprovided with a flange 25 by which the distributing device or nozzle fortreating material which affords a full range of adjustment toselectively and widely vary the delivery of air or the full length ofthe nozzle.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a fluid distributingdevice in which adjacent fluid delivery portions merge into each otherwithout interruption.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a fluid distributingdevice having a continuous, uninterrupted fluid delivery opening acrossthe entire width of the material to be treated, the opening beingcontrolled by a continuous, uninterrupted closure;

Another object of the invention is to provide a i'luid distributingdevice in which adjacent portions of a fluid delivery opening may beselectively adjusted to opposite extremes of adjustment independently ofeach other.

These and other objects are attained by the present invention, variousnovel features of which will be apparent from the following descriptionand from the accompanying drawings disclosing a' 'preferred embodimentof the invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a portion of a drier section ofa Web processing machine as viewed from the side;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the arrangement as viewedfrom the top;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal view, partially in cross-section, ofone of the fluid distributing devices or nozzles;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the nozzle taken on line 4-4; inFIG. 3 but at an enlarged scale;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of the nozzle shown in FIG. 3;and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 but showing various parts underdiiferent conditions of operation.

' Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2,a'preferred embodiment of the invention is shown nozzle may be securedto the duct 21 in position to receive fluid therefrom. As seen in FIG.4, the nozzle is provided with a narrow slot 27 which is formed in acover plate 23 detachably connected to the tubular body 23 in anyconventional manner. The slot 27 extends for almost the full length ofthe nozzle to correspond to the width of the web 12. The nozzle isnormally positioned with the slot 27 facing the Web so that airexhausting from the nozzle is directed on the web.

As best seen in H68. 4, 5, and 6, closure means for controlling theamount of air escaping from the slot 27 includes an elongated member 31of generally tubular cross-section which is made of elasticallydeformable material. The member 31 is cemented to a channelshaped seatmember 33 which is held in uniformly spaced relation to the slot 27 by aplurality of U-shaped brackets 34 fastened to the cover plate 28.

The member 31, the seat 33 and the brackets 34 are held securelytogether by an elbow 35, a nut 36 and a flanged nipple 3'7 insertedthrough a wall of the member 31 and threaded into the elbow 35. Thenipple and elbow also provide communication with the interior of thetube member 31. v

Referring to FIG. 5, the member 31 is divided into a plurality ofhydraulic actuators or air chambers :38 by pinching a continuous tube asat 39 to form a wall by means of a clip 41 bolted to-seat 33. Eachchamber is provided with at least one nipple 37 and an elbow 35 which isthreaded for connection to an air supplying control line 4-6. If theslot 27 is divided into a plurality of imaginary control zones asindicated at A, B and C in FIG. 3, at least one chamber 38is providedfor each of the zones and each chamber is in communication with aseparate high pressure line 46. The lines 4-6 may be disrial 51 isdisposed between the slot 27 and the actuator member 31. The closureelement is wider than the slot and is fastened to the actuator member 31by way of a tongue 52 molded integrally with the actuator 31 and alongitudinal groove 53 formed in the closure.

A maximum flow of air can be afforded through the slot 27 in any one ofthe zones, for example at zone B, when the closure 51 is spaced from theslot as shown in FIG. 4. Under these conditions, the member 31 isrelaxed in its as molded form with air pressure in the chamber 38 at aminimum. At the same time, air flow through the portion of the slot inan adjacent zone, for example, zone A, can be prevented when the closuremember 51 is positioned to completely close the slot as shown in FIG. 6.Under these conditions, high pressure air has been delivered to theassociated chamber 38 through the corresponding nipple 37, elbow 35 andline 46 so that the member 31 has been inflated to move the closure intoengagement with the slot. It Willbe understood that since the amount ofinflation is controlled by the amount of air under pressure delivered tothe chamber, that the closure may be moved to any selected positionintermediate the extremes shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 to control the amountof air delivered through the slot 27.

Referring now to FIG. 3, it will be seen that since a plurality ofchambers are provided axially of the tube, different pressures ofcontrol air may be supplied to adja cent chambers to widely vary thevolumes of drying air discharged from different portions of the slot.The volumes of drying air may be varied to correspond to the moistureprofile of the web, that is, where the web is the most moist, the slotmay be fully open and where the web is dry, the slot may be fullyclosed. It will be noted that these extremes of adjustments may beclosely adjacent to each other since each chamber is actuatedindependently of all other chambers.

The nozzles are extremely flexible and responsive to control and mayremain under manual control of an operator stationed in the aisleadjacent the drier. Automatic operation may also be provided by means ofa commercially available scanning device 56 which is capable of sensingthe moisture content of the web. The device is moved continuouslytransversely of the web, first in one direction and then the other. Asit crosses each drying zone, the reading of the scanning device istransmitted to a relay matrix 57 which in turn actuates control valves47 in the lines 46 to admit or release the required amount of controlair to or from the appropriate actuator chamber thereby adjusting theamount of drying air passing through the slot upon the web. Theadjustment remains fixed until the scanning head 56 returns to thecontrol zone under consideration and obtains a different moisturecontent reading. In FIG. 2, control lines 46 and valves 47 are shownassociated with only one of the nozzles but it should be understood thatsimilar lines and valves are associated with all of the nozzles.

It will be appreciated that the continuous, flexible closure member maybe moved by a variety of means such as hydraulic cylinders or solenoids.However, the actuators of the preferred embodiment of the invention notonly are more simple and economical but also more compact and offer aminimum resistance to the passage of drying air in the nozzles.Furthermore, the arrangement makes it possible to keep the diameter ofthe nozzles at a minimum so that they are capable of installation inotherwise inaccessible locations.

It will now be seen that a novel fluid distributing device or nozzle hasbeen provided which incorporates a continuous slot for dischargingdrying air or other fluid without any interruption or interference forthe entire width of the web and that the rate of discharge of fluid maybe widely varied across the entire width of the web by control meansincluding an exceedingly simple actuator member which is inflatable tovary the discharge of fluid from the nozzle.

It should be understood that it is not intended to limit the inventionto the above described forms and details, and that the inventionincludes such other forms and modifications as are embraced by the scopeof the appended claims.

It is claimed and desired to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A fluid conveying apparatus for treating material comprising aconduit member presenting a continuous slot extending longitudinally ofsaid conduit member, a single elongated closure element for said slotnormally disposed in spaced relation to said slot and within saidconduit, said conduit member receiving fluid for delivery through saidslot, a plurality of actuating means disposed in said conduit andoperable on longitudinally spaced portions of said closure element formoving selected portions toward and away from corresponding portions ofsaid slot independently of the movement of adjacent portions of saidclosure element to vary the delivery of fluid across the longitudinalextent of said slot and a plurality of hydraulic control means disposedat a common location exterior of said conduit member, each of saidcontrol means being operatively connected .to one of said actuatingmeans.

2. Apparatus for treating material moving in a path of predeterminedwidth comprising a conduit member presenting a continuous uninterruptedslot extending transversely to the direction of material movement andgenerally coextensive in length to the width of the path of materialmovement, means for delivering air to said conduit, means forcontrolling the flow of air through said slot including a plurality oftube-like actuators of elastic material supported in axially aligned,adjacent relation to each other and in uniformly spaced relation to saidslot, means for selectively delivering and expelling fluid underpressure to each of said actuators to deform the latter toward and awayfrom said slot, a continuous closure member disposed between saidactuators and said slot and being movable into and out of closingrelation with said slot upon deformation of said tubular actuators tocontrol the flow of air through said slot.

3. Apparatus for treating material moving in a predetermined pathcomprising a conduit member presenting a continuous, uninterrupted slotextending transversely to the direction of material movement andgenerally coextensive in length to the width of said path, said slotforming a plurality of control zones, means for controlling the escapeof air from said slot onto said material including an elongatedgenerally tubular member formed of elastic material and supported inuniformly spaced relation to said slot, said member corresponding to thelength of said slot and being divided into separate chamberscorresponding in number and location to said control zones of said slot,separate means for delivering fluid under selected pressure to each ofsaid chambers, each of said chambers being deformable upon receivingfluid under pressure and in proportion to the pressure to move towardsaid conduit to selectively vary the degree of opening of said slot inthe associated control zone independently of the degree of opening ofsaid slot in the other control zones.

4. In a fluid distributing device, an elongated conduit, means fordelivering air to said conduit, a continuous slot formed'longitudinallyin said conduit, closure means disposed in said conduit and normallyspaced from said slot and movable into engagement with the interiorwalls of said conduit at either side of said slot to control theeffective opening of said slot, a plurality of hydraulic actuatorsdisposed within said conduit and operative on longitudinally spacedportions of said closure means to move the latter, a control means foreach of said actuators, and hydraulic lines connected to said actuatorsand to said control means, said control means permitting operation ofselected ones of said actuators independently of each other from acommon location exterior of said elongated conduit.

5. A fluid distributing device according to claim 4 in which saidplurality of hydraulic actuators are formed by an elongated, resilientmember of generally tubular configuration, said resilient member beingdivided longitudinally thereof by walls forming separate deformablecompartments in said member.

6. A fluid conducting device for treating material moving relative tosaid device comprising an elongated conduit extending transversely tothe direction of material movement, means for delivering fluid to atleast one end of said conduit, said conduit forming a continuous slotfor distributing fluid from said conduit upon said material, a single,flexible closure for said slot, means for moving selected portions ofsaid closure toward and away from said slot and into engagement with theinterior wall of said conduit including a plurality of actuatorsdisposed solely in said conduit, each of said actuators being operableto move a corresponding portion of said closure independently ofadjacent portions of said closure, and

control means for operating said actuators independently of each otherfrom a point exterior of said conduit and through one end of the latter.

7. A fluid conducting device for treating material according to claim 6and further including sensing means for detecting the treated conditionof said material and in which said control means is responsive to saidsensing means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re:25,358 Underhay Mar. 26, 1963 2,616,188 Steinfeld Nov. 4, 1952 2,677,390Davis May 4, 1954 2,781,780 Zahradka Feb. 19, 1957 2,884,711 Parkes May5, 1959 2,903,015 Erwin Sept. 8, 1959 2,913,147 Johnson Nov. 17, 1959

1. A FLUID CONVEYING APPARATUS FOR TREATING MATERIAL COMPRISING ACONDUIT MEMBER PRESENTING A CONTINUOUS SLOT EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OFSAID CONDUIT MEMBER, A SINGLE ELONGATED CLOSURE ELEMENT FOR SAID SLOTNORMALLY DISPOSED IN SPACED RELATION TO SAID SLOT AND WITHIN SAIDCONDUIT, SAID CONDUIT MEMBER RECEIVING FLUID FOR DELIVERY THROUGH SAIDSLOT, A PLURALITY OF ACTUATING MEANS DISPOSED IN SAID CONDUIT ANDOPERABLE ON LONGITUDINALLY SPACED PORTIONS OF SAID CLOSURE ELEMENT FORMOVING SELECTED PORTIONS TOWARD AND AWAY FROM CORRESPONDING PORTIONS OFSAID SLOT INDEPENDENTLY OF THE MOVEMENT OF ADJACENT PORTIONS OF SAIDCLOSURE ELEMENT TO VARY THE DELIVERY OF FLUID ACROSS THE ONGITUDINALEXTENT OF SAID SLOT AND A PLURALITY OF HYDRAULIC CONTROL MEANS DISPOSEDAT A COMMON LOCATION EXTERIOR OF SAID CONDUIT MEMBER, EACH OF SAIDCONTROL MEANS BEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO ONE OF SAID ACTUATINGMEANS.